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The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) has over the past 26 months been engaged in research on The art, philosophy and science of football in South Africa. The project, which aims to broaden knowledge and scholarship on football in SA, is one of the institute’s eight current research projects. The Conference to release the findings and recommendations will be held on Thursday 29th of November 2012, at Gallagher Estate from 9am to 1pm.
 
The project was undertaken under the leadership of:
o   Chris Fortuin – academic & Project Leader, MMSR*[1], University of Johannesburg
o   Prof Yoga Coopoo - professor, academic, researcher & MISTRA Fellow, University of Johannesburg
o   Prof Hanlie Moss, professor, academic & researcher, MMSR, North West University
o   Dr Howard Freese, former footballer &  researcher, MMSR
 
WHY RESEARCH FOOTBALL?
MISTRA’s concerns are three-fold:
·       South African football enjoys remarkable resources, abundant talent and the passionate support of the majority of South Africans and yet it is unable to achieve satisfactory levels of competitiveness locally and internationally.
·       Available research on football is limited in South Africa and consequently, and invariably, the long-term development of the game is stunted. This is both a concern and a finding.
·       How can South Africa build on the momentum of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, to ensure sustainable international and local success, as well as to keep the spirit of a ‘winning nation’ alive?
 
RESEARCH SCOPE
The study is a cross-sectional study that looks at a range of areas of football, with particular focus on youth football development. Some of the areas of exploration include the sociological influence of football in South Africa, talent identification, retention and training and women’s football
 
SOME KEY FINDINGS
Some of the key findings to be released as part of this conference include the over-training of young players, a significant preference for playing in professional leagues abroad, that most players sampled have never had an eye exam and only 30% of players sampled for this study have ever seen a general practitioner, and that 76% of the sampled players indicated that they went without food after competitive games or immediately after training.
 
The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection hopes this study will contribute to the body of knowledge on football in SA and spark a meaningful national discourse  aimed at finding strategic and sustainable solutions for the success of one of our national treasures: football.